Khel Mela: An opportunity for each child to play
For children in government-run schools in India, Saturdays are a no-bag day - a policy intervention widely popular in schools across India, to reduce the burden of academics on children (Section 3.15, Policy on School Bag, 2020, NCERT). Highlighted in the New Education Policy that was launched in 2020, Saturdays for children in school are meant for leisure, extracurriculars, art, colors, play, clay, and creative expression (Section 4.26, NEP, 2020, NCERT). Over the years, schools have adopted various methods to make Saturdays enriching for children with bal sansad (Children’s Parliaments), bal sabha (Children’s assembly), etc. Children have also been widely reported to engage in dance, music, creative expression, art, and sports these days. This year, children in Jharkhand will experience a unique event—a monthly Khel Mela!
In Hindi, a special gathering of people is called a Mela. The word Mela means to come together and celebrate. Khel Mela is an event where all students can take part and experience the joy of physical activities and games, not as competitions but as joyful participation. So what about a Mela that celebrates all the Khel and redefines sports events beyond competition? Mostly Melas are held around religious festivals that include stalls of food, street food, rides, homemade products, magic shows, horse rides, elephant rides, and the list goes on. Urban schools in India mostly organize a smaller, more urbanized version of such Melas called fests, where children bring food, put up stalls with indoor games, showcase their homemade products, etc.
A monthly event to celebrate play in public schools will provide every child with the opportunity to explore what it is like to play without fear, without the pressure to win, and just explore what Mela has to offer at their own pace. UNESCO’s Quality Physical Education Guidelines emphasize the importance of inclusive physical education to ensure that all children benefit from physical activity regardless of their abilities.
At Project Chhalaang, we have been working with the system of government schools for over 7 years to make physical education an integral part of school education. Over the years, we have had many encounters with both teachers and students in these schools. Considering all the challenges that such schools face, from teacher shortages to infrastructural challenges, one discovery has been that all children love to play, and that all teachers understand the importance of engaging children in physical activities. However, action often takes a back seat.
To tackle this systemic problem we devised an innovative idea - Khel Mela. Khel Mela is an intra-school, non-competitive, school-level event open to all children. It aims to promote a culture of play among all students and teachers of the school as well as the nearby community in some cases. A Mela may have different stalls for various activities. By design, a Khel Mela has stalls with different physical activities or sports (depending on the age of the children), and is open for children to participate in on their own terms.
The key objectives of a Khel Mela is for every child to:
- engage in some form of non-competitive physical activity led by various teachers of the schools (not necessarily the sports teachers/physical education teachers)
- be exposed to various sports
- engagement without fear
- develop the capacity of teachers to facilitate play with children
With our experience of conducting 100+ Khel Melas in the last two years, it has been very evident that this concept builds a culture of physical activity in schools, motivating teachers to find more avenues and engage children in physical activities. In a recently concluded Khel Mela, one of the state stakeholders - State Program Officer, Mr. Dhirsen A. Soreng participated in the Khel Mela. He was mesmerized by the concept, and stated:
"As the nodal agency for implementing physical education and sports in the state, we are committed to strengthening and streamlining all initiatives to achieve the holistic development of students as suggested by NEP, using play and sports as mediums. Under Project Chhalaang, Dani Sports Foundation is actively contributing to our shared goals through in-school, in-community, Teacher Professional Development, and other systemic processes.
Khel Mela is one such initiative that has been developed very well, and initial demonstrations have shown it to be impactful in developing physical and life skills in students. Additionally, it is effectively creating a culture of celebration in schools, enhancing relationships among students, between students and teachers, intra-staff, and between the school and the community.
We are looking forward to expanding Khel Mela statewide and are excited and optimistic about the positive changes it will bring to schools."
Khel Mela is a celebration of play, not competition. It is one new concept to foster a love for physical activities among the students and to encourage participation without fear or pressure of winning or losing the game. By redefining the sports events concept in school, Khel Mela promotes a culture of play that is fun-filled and inclusive in an engaging environment for all.
References
- Government of India. (2020). Policy on School Bag 2020, Ministry of Human Resource Development Government of India.
- Government of India (2020). National Education Policy 2020 Ministry of Human Resource Development Government of India.
- UNESCO. (n.d.). Promoting quality physical education policy. UNESCO.
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